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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I just realized we have two weeks until Halloween! Only two weeks! That doesn't give me a lot of time to come up with six costumes. Now don't hate me, but I'm actually one of those moms who makes their kids creative costumes every year. I know, I know, your opinions of me have just lowered. I don't sew or anything, but I'm pretty good with a hot glue gun. Well, truth be told I'm not actually that good with a hot glue gun, (Do you know how badly it hurts when you get hot glue on your hands?) but I get by.

So, I like to make creative costumes and I secretly love it when my kids are the only ones in school with their costume. Does anyone my age remember the costumes we had as kids? They came in identical boxes and they all had the same components - a plastic costume with little plastic ties at your neck that would rip before you even got to school and a hard, molded plastic mask. The masks would have cut-outs for your eyes and mouth. Every kid had to stick his tongue out through the little mouth opening because, well, because it was fun. Inevitably, we'd scrape our tongues on the sharp edges of the hard plastic. The best part of those masks was, of course, the little rubber bands of death. You know - the tiny rubber bands that were attached to the mask with even tinier staples and no matter how careful you were, you always snapped yourself in the head with it. And of course, your face would sweat so much in that hot plastic that you'd have actual puddles in the mask by the time you reached the end of the block. Oh yeah, those were the days. Honestly, I can't complain because I only had a couple of those costumes. My mom was a homemade-Halloween-costume-maker herself. It's probably where I get my passion for making my kids costumes. I don't mind getting that trait passed down from Mom. :D Hee hee - just kidding, Mom!

Medusa from Clash of the Titans. What kid wouldn't want to be Medusa for Halloween? Now there was a movie with incredible special effects. My son had to watch that movie for school last year during their unit on Greek mythology. After seeing Harry Potter and Star Wars, the awesome, "realistic" stop motion animation in Clash of the Titans, just didn't seem so spectacular.

The Jolly Green Giant. I don't know about you, but I know I always wanted to dress up like the guy from the can of green beans.

Ahhh, Sleeping Beauty. Yes, I know she looks a little evil, but note that her plastic costume is flame retardant!

And the devil costume. Notice his teeth? Who knew the devil didn't brush and floss regularly?Thank you so much Debra and Tracy for sending me those pictures from your collection!

My mom made some cool costumes for me and my sister. I've made some cool costumes for my kids, but my sister has made the ultimate costumes for herself over the years! They're absolutely remarkable.

Here are a couple of the costumes I've made my kids over the years. I wish I had more pictures of them on my computer. I don't have the time or the energy to do anything this year. I think they're all going to be ghosts.

A penguin and elephant I made years ago. I just used sweat pants and then cut up and glued sweat shirts. My mom did a little sewing for me on these.

Our boy genius, Jimmy Neutron.

I made a plain ole Sponge Bob costume for my oldest son way back before Sponge Bob was a household name. When we went trick-or-treating, people kept saying stuff like, "Oh look honey. It's a piece of cheese." He used that costume for two years and then we redecorated it to look like Mermaid Man.

Umm yeah, I had nothing to do with this. Gotta love a man who isn't afraid to let his hair down. (Yes, I did walk several paces in front of him)

135 comments:

Adorable, even when she is letting out all her grievances and displeasures with the world.

Yeah...Halloween...hmmm...Now what costume can I make from a foot of felt, and a shoe box...

Inevitably, this will be the question I'm asking myself the Tuesday before Halloween at 9pm. Just you see. ;)Keep up the good work!And By George, what I would give to have your mad glue-gunning skills. =D

easy costume--take a box big enough to fit over your child, cut out holes for the arms and head (leave the bottom open), paint red and white diagonal stripes all over it, hot glue gun real popcorn to the top around the head hole (might want to do this the day of) and paint the word "popcorn" on the front of the box. voila. your child is a box of popcorn. Words of warning though, wearing the box thru school will make your child crave popcorn (and NO, eating it off the box is NOT tasty) and if it is raining the popcorn will melt. All in all, a great easy costume though. :0)

I was a carrot in 5th grade - orange full body cardboard tube with pointed bottom, orange patent leather flats (the inspiration for the costume) green fishnets and a green stocking cap with crepe paper streamers. Some uncreative mother watching the parade said ,"Oh, look, Joan. A pencil!" Please, I was so carroty. Then in sixth grade I was Death - gray (trying for black - couldn't get there) dyed sheets made into a great flowing robe/dress, a Dad-made black lantern with flashlight concealed, blood red wooden key on a big clanky chain, head covering matching the dress.... and a plastic tongue-cutting skull mask. There was Joan's imaginationless buddy again :"Oh, look, Joan, a nun. How.... nice."

Like it was yesterday.....a salute to my mother and father who did not talk me out of these grandiose ideas but made them reality.

oh i think homemade costumes are much better than store bought. I used my wedding dress one year , i was a dead bride hehe yes i was a young adult trick or treating. Yes my wedding dress,hey it's not likei'm going to need it again, and it cost me $75.00 at a thrift store,fit me perfectly.

I love making costumes for my kids too. I don't usually get all that creative, but I have standards that are a lot higher than what you can usually buy in the store. Why spend $20 on a costume at the store when you can spend the same or less to make a BETTER one?! Some years I make the whole thing... sewing from scratch, etc. But usually I will actually buy stuff from the store, but use it to make something I think looks better than the cheesy cheap looking crap they sell. The only "original" costume I think I ever did was one year my daughter was the statue of liberty. Just because she is OBSESSED with 2 things: statue of liberty and abraham lincoln... odd girl that one, lol. For the statue of liberty I got some funky green fabric that was the closest I could find to oxidized copper green and wrapped her up toga style. I made her a crown using cardboard, paint, and a headband. For the torch I used a paper towel tube. I painted a piece of paper with gold paint... truly metallic gold, not crappy yellow that they just call gold, lol. I bunched it around a small styrofoam ball and trimmed it to look like the flame... stuck that on top of the roll and she was good to go. This year my kids are being a ghost and a grim reaper (I let them pick and just offer some guidance if they pick something I don't want to make, lol)... this is going to be easy, but FUN! My mom always made our costumes too and even from an early age she encouraged us to help her come up with ideas for how to make them... so I have a lot of practice with creative costume construction, lol.

My mom was a homemade costume maker and quite a good one at that. Unfortunately, and she will be the first one to admit it, she was usually starting and finishing the costumes the night before our school Halloween parties. The perks of being an only child - I'm sure she would have opted for store-bought costumes if I had siblings!

Anyway, the main reason for my reply...I logged on to my Yahoo mail and one of the items that popped up was a very funny and quite appropriate video - go to Yahoo and type in "William Tell Overture for Moms" in the video search and get ready to laugh!

Great costumes! I especially love the Marge Simpson one! I was lucky growing up in that my grandma sewed costumes for my sister and I. She was/is pretty skilled as a princess, and my sis & I traded places being bunnies, unicorns, Raggedy Ann, and a lion (my favorite--it had a long tale I could twirl around :) ).

like you i am a homemade costume mom as well & having a small herd like you its not easy coming up with costumes but i do lol i sit with a couple of bottles of wine with the sewing maching & glue gun & as i get more intoxicated the more crestive the costume is! then of course theres the baked cookies for the school partys & then all the other parents amazed with you you get the " where do you have time to do this with so many chilldren " this year i have one who wants to be a devil another who wants to be a cheerleader( although the marge costume is looking like a good idea the boys want to be vampires & the oldest is too old to dress up ( although she may just to help with the children lol ) so im figuring 2 maby 3 bottles of wine, but of course living in newfoundland canada i have to make sure they can wear a snowsuit under the costume ( well for the yuyounger ones at least the older ones are big & ugly enough to realize its cold llol

I remember when I was young and my friend had one of those from-a-box costumes and she was a clown and the mask had a little horn she could blow on from the inside and I was so jealous, I could hardly stand it.

Have a good Halloween and I wish I could lend you our nifty pirate capes, as no one wants to use them around here this year.

The Marge Simpson costume is a riot! All of your costumes are great. Your kids must have felt so good wearing them. What fun!

I can't remember my costumes as a kid, but I do remember my kids and Halloween. They come up with some of the craziest ideas. One year, my son was a trash can. We cut the bottom out of a plastic child's trash container and hot glued real trash all over the outside. Nobody wanted to get too close, but he was a hit! Then there were the Invisible Men/Blues Brothers. Boys in suits with their heads wrapped in ace bandages, and of course, some cool shades. No sewing or glueing required. The fairy costumes have lasted forever. The 16 year old still wears them to school on occasion. (Now that she has a beau, she dresses a little more like everyone else!)

Thanks for reminding me of some of the important memories to give to my kids.

Oh crap!! (And that's about as potty-mouthed as I get) I'm gone for a few days and I miss all the excitement. Your TV appearance, the update on the frig, and gum disease!! So much happened while I was away. Oh well, I guess that's why the Good Lord invented blogging - or did Al Gore do that? At least I didn't missed the debute of your husband in drag.

I am also a homemade costume maker but it's because my mom was one of those moms that threw a trash bag over my head, cut some holes and sent me off as a california raisin. Oh so original. I love it when the kids come up with great original ideas. One year they were all from dragon tails. My daughter was a doodle fairy and the boys were hoppy and ord. Last year the boys were Danny Phantom...one before he goes ghost and one after he goes ghost and then my daughter was Sam his best friend. Since the boys are identical twins this was really cute. They now think I can sew anything and the costumes are getting more elaborate. They are giving me more credit than I deserve. Good luck on your costumes and have fun with it!

LOVED the "whack a mole"!! It's sounds like something I'd do without thinking --- hand one of the boys a mallot and then turn him loose on the neighborhood! Too funny.My daughter makes the best costumes -- I have NO idea where her huge creativity came from. A couple of years ago she was an Ipod. I'll have to post the pic on my blog.Thanks for the morning laughs, Dawn!

I love the costumes. I wish I was craftier, but what my kids want to be invlove sewing and I almost failed Home EC in Jr High (that's a story for the blog). My kids usually pick from the Disney Store when they go 25% off.

Clash of the Titans was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I am embarrassed to admit that, as a four year old, I pitched such a fit about missing Clash of the Titans for 4th of July fireworks that my dad gave in and made us stay home so I could watch the movie. Oh, the shame I feel as an adult!

I come from a long line of moms who make homemade costumes (so does my husband). Mine are never elaborate, 'cause I just wouldn't be able to handle the stress of going "all out" on three costumes.

Great costume ideas! Here are a couple more: for a little kid, take some material that matches a sweat suit, spray glue it to posterboard and shape into a cone hat; make a "Crayola" label out of black felt. My friend did this with twin "crayons" in different colors. Another idea for older kids or adults is to attach a round mirror to your nose as go as everyone else.

The Whack-a-Mole reminded me of the costume my brother had when he was 8. My dad took a big cardboard box, painted it yellow, and cut out three holes in the front and back to make a stoplight. It was great.

Until we got to the house with the lady who thought it was hilarious to dress as a dummy scarecrow, sit on the lawn, and jump up at kids coming up her drive.

My brother tried to run, fell backwards, and was a kicking, screaming turtle.

Hey ~ I too love it when my kids is the only one with that costume. I am not the sewing type (like my mom was, always homemade costumes), but I love getting creative! My fav is when I made the boys painters. They had bibs (bleached white), with sweatshirts and hats all paint splattered and then I got them empty paint cans from Home Depot as there candy buckets... it was a HUGE hit! I loved it!!!!

Oh SNAP!! I have read your blog for months, but I just haven't commented because I'm naughty like that, but the costumes were to amazing to not say something!! I was just walking through Target yesterday wondering "who pays $20 for a kids costume??" Isnt' the fun part putting it together youerself? And I am FAR less crafty than you:) ANywho, LOVE the blog and the picture of your princess was the highlight of my day. THANKS!!!

I always make costumes with my kids- lots of use of sweats, cardboard and hot glue! (lion, skeleton, robot, dinosaur...)

I've always wanted a group of kids to go as a box of crayons. Each kid can put a sand pail on his/her head and matching sweats. The end! So easy, but I can't ever get other parents to do it with mine. For that matter, I can't get mine to do it either. Maybe your's would agree.

I have plans for a "marching band guy" (age 3) and a bat (age 6) who is NOT Batman and is NOT a vampire. I got some black polyester and plan to cut it and add some elastic for the wrists, then have him wear black sweats and a simple eye mask. The marching band guy is a bit harder since the oatmeal box is too small for a hat. Two weeks? Plenty of time!

Love the Marge costume - great use of bubble wrap.Last year was the first year I made a costume (Mary Margaret was 2 1/2 and William had just turned 1.) He wore a pumpkin shirt and orange pants. I made her a Glenda the Good Witch costume out of a pink onesie and some pink netting. The hat was a couple of pieces of cardstock. I used lots of silver sequins and glitter and yes, I too worship at the feet of the hot glue gun, but I also do some sewing. It was actually pretty easy. The hard part was waiting for them both to be asleep so I could work on it. This year Mary Margaret informed me she wants to be a pink horse. In a dress. With sparkles. And she doesn't want anything on her head. We keep adding details so Halloween may actually be TOO far away for me to accomplish all her stringent and sometimes contradictory requirements. She also said William has to be a blue butterfly. I may try to quietly dress him as a dinosaur and hope she doesn't remember. When he's 6 and can choose for himself he can certainly be a butterfly, but I don't want him to see pictures and think bad things about me.

OK, I've decided to stop being a lurker and actually post. great writing - keep it up! The halloween costume thing hit home with me. i'm so NOT crafty, and my kids always want something homemade. Last year, it was an ipod (which, i have to say, turned out really well despite the fact that i made it!). This year, it's Betty Rubble - her best friend is Wilma, and our hubby's are Fred and Barney. For some insane reason, my 9 yr old thinks I can sew and is adamant that I don't use the stapler - like I used to for brownie patches! My best costume ever was when I was 3 mos pregnant w/#2. No one knew, so we announced it via costume at the neighborhood halloween party. hubby was a chef and I had a huge box made to look like an oven on. The oven door had a picture of a bun in it, and all the dials were set to 3 mos, 6 mos, and 9 mos. All the women got it immediately......the men were clueless ;)

There is a book out there called glue and go costumes. The lady who wrote the book came to my library. She uses packing tape instead of glue but the title packing tape costumes is not as catchy. The best costume she showed us was a bunch of grapes. Blow up some green or purple balloons and knot them. Put a safety pin through the untied part of the balloon knot (if that doesn't make sense, blow up a balloon and look at the knot - put the pin through the part that will not make the balloon pop.). Use the same pin for about 3 balloons and then pin them to the clothes. Do this all over the body to make a bunch of grapes. It was really cute but hard to transport in the car. Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween. -Donna

Oh yes, I remember the store-bought costumes from when I was a kid! My mom made many of mine but I wanted what the other kids had, of course. I just wish I had the time, energy and creativity to make costumes for my kids... :)

Yipes, I remember those boxed costumes ... oh and sticking the tounge out, yep I did that too ... LOL ahhhh the memories

I have made plenty of costumes over the years for my daughter, I made her: a catapiller, a dice, princess, popcorn, snow white, an M&M, Cinderella, bunny and this year she's going to be a Bingo card, my I might oull out the Pepsi costume I made myself years ago... one year we were both a rabbit in a hat, by far the best costume. Thanks for the blog, I love your blog and read it daily for a good laugh.

My favorite homemade costume was one a made for my son a few years ago. I took a box, cut arm holes and a head hole, glued ziploc plastic bowls to it and painted it all blue. He was a giant lego. I keep trying to convince my family to all go as different color legos :)

Love the costumes!! I once had a "Kiss" mask as my costume. It was just as you explained, plastic, staples sticking out and rubber bands to hold it on. I also stuck my tongue through the mouth hole! HAHAH!!!

That last picture of your daughter is awesome!! LOL!! Made my whole day!

I remember those masks and costumes! I'm older than you though. I made up my goodie bags last night. Treaters will get their choice of a candy bag, a box of crayons or markers (sorry, not the washable kind) or a chilled Coke. The big kids say nice things about me when I offer them Coke late at night ;)

And YES! I hate it when I burn myslef with that hot glue gun. OUUUCHH!!Enjoy the day!maggieb!

OMG! I so had to have the Sleeping Beauty one when I was a kid. The only time my mom ever made my costume was when I decided at the last minute to go trick or treating and she would make me a Hobo. I made our entire family Giraffe costumes for my baby's first Halloween and then the next year I made her a Dorothy The Dinosaur costume. I admit I did buy the tail though. I don't sew either and hot glue will only hold so much.

We already had a halloween party/costume contest this year and they judge on original home made costumes. My son was a fried egg and my daughter was a leprechaun. here are a few pictures I hope the Show up :)

Great Costumes. A few years ago, my daughter was "Spaghetti and Meatballs". we used a red sweatsuit and glued white yarn all over, and we painted little styrofaom balls brown and attached them to the yarn.

Thank you for moving all the solicitious, promotional topics off this site. I was just about to delete your site from my favorites, having come everyday from the beginning. Now it's getting back to the way that is inviting and readable, not one big ad. Glad you had the forethought! Keep it up! Val

I'm like you...I made all of my daughter's costumes by hand and they always looked so good I walked around on Halloween beaming with pride, not for my daughter but for myself of course.

I love all those costumes, but the Marge Simpson one is so cool I can't stand it. I love the blue bubble wrap hair. I can't wait till my daughter gets out of school so I can show her that. She is going to freak out!

hey dont feel bad i was grapes one year. lol. my brother had a long purple robe and my mom took a bunch of purple balloons and blew them up and pinned them on the robe. then she painted my face green and used the green hairspray to give me green hair. i got a lot of weird comments from old guys about their fruit of the loom underwear. what ten year old doesnt want old guys telling them about their underwear? i was scarred for life!

I LOVE THE WACK A MOLE costume. I LOVE THAT GAME. Very creative. My mom is always the kind that I (and now my kids) have homemade costumes. I have in my myspace pic my favorite on of me in the Wonder Woman costume my mom made me. I had a fit a couple years ago when my ex's girlfriend bought my youngest a store bought costume.

LUV the unique costumes!! Don't know how you find the time to do stuff like that...I'm lucky to find time to use the restroom during the day sometimes!

Anyway, I found a link to what I think might be your ABC interview! I was so excited, I watched it and I think this is it! Check it out and see for yourself! If this doesn't get you there, I'll see if I can get a more direct route to ya.

Oh my gosh! I thought I was the only mom who made a Spongebob costume that many years ago! My daughter got EXACTLY the same comments as you did - "Look at the nice piece of cheese!" She still laughs about that every year when we try to come up with Halloween costumes!

I used to dress up with my husband for Halloween, but I suffer from "obscure reference syndrome" and I got sick of people not "getting" my costumes. Like one year my husband was Ted Kennedy and I was Mary Jo Kopechne. I put on pale make-up, threw a bunch of gel in my hair and put plastic aquarium plants all over for effect. Even with name tags nobody got it.

Fortunately, my boys want to be commandos or marines or snipers EVERY YEAR, so they just wear their Dad's old Army uniforms. And this year, the oldest kid can wear real Army boots!! I am completely spoiled by the fact that I don't even have to think about Halloween costumes!

I was right there with you on homemade costumes. Did that until a few years ago when the kids all realized that you can go to the party store and buy a costume. Well it has saved me endless hours and tons of agravation. In the past, we have been the three blind mice, a star (which we lit up at night with battery operated christmas lights), inmates from a correctional facility (the ones in the neighboring county wear orange jumpsuits)--boy were they cute. Those were my top favorites.

I've not commented before, but I am a daily reader. That last picture of Baby is just too precious... and exactly how my littlest "princess" reacts to things such as costumes. Thanks for a daily dose of smiles.

We made costumes for my twin nephews a couple of years back! They were a PB&J! LOL One of them wore a brown sweatsuit with a "PB" on it and the other a purple sweatsuit with a "J" on it. My mother-in-law used foam to make bread! We attached the bread to their backs like a backpack! Then they would hug and look like a PB&J sandwich!! :)

Dawn,LOVE the Marge Simpson costume! The Wack-a Mole is pure genius! I am also one of those mothers who prefers home made costumes. The glue gun is essential, however let's not forget our other friend "Duct tape". I have discovered that the best way to come up with a unique costume idea is to ask your 3 year old what they want to be. My son wanted to be a car wash. It took a while, but a cardboard box, a roll of duct tape, and several sheets of craft foam later, we had a costume which has been the hit of the school parade for 3 years. We even managed to rig up a working stop light on the front. I too remember the lovely costumes that came from the box. I had the Cinderella costume. I never left my mask on very long because it was so hard to breathe in it. One year my friend and I were car hops. We glued fake hamburgers and drinks to a tray, and wore roller skates. Good Luck with the costumes. I hope you will post photos of your Halloween creations.Love your blog! Keep up the good work!Jill

I love the Marge Simpson idea! We're still two weeks away and I had already decided that my 18 month old daughter was going to be a ghost. She likes putting towels over her head, so why wouldn't she like a sheet? I'm a preemptive slacker. Thankfully I have a creative mother-in-law who I will need to start recruiting well in advance to make costumes.

Ahh Yes my 9yo wanted a homemade costume this year. She wanted her 5 year old sister to dress as salt and pepper shakers with her. My 5 y/o as does every 5y/o girl, wanted to be a princess. So my daughter came up with a stop light. So here I am with tonsillitis and a 103 degree fever making a stop light costume. It is pretty cool I must say. it even lights up. or is that jus my delirium from the fever. I may have to borrow the Marge Simpson idea. Very cool. You did great on WTN!!Oblivious Surbabinte

The challenge I run into is how to make a costume fun, but also warm. Every halloween it is inevitably 20 degrees outside by the time trick or treating gets started. So then we try to make the once cute costumes weather proof. I don't think the year my daughter went as a princess she meant to be a hulk hogan princess, but with all the sweats and coats she had to wear under the dress she had quite the muscles. Good times.

finally, the comments seem to be slowing down. I don't have kids but I am an "aunt" and feel that the nieces and nephews are all my "kids". Visiting your blog makes me feel like I am "back" in my childhood with my siblings all over again. Reliving the memories that were never documented because my mother died when she was only 32 years old. Technology has its advantages....Halloween used to be a favorite time for me as a child because my siblings and I would always have to make our own outfits. My brother would start out as one character and then when he was done making the rounds he would come home and dress up as a ghost and re-hit several homes for a second time. Thank you for sharing so much with us!

Oh my goodness. I don't recognize that exact packaging, but I think I WAS that Sleeping Beauty one year! Ew...the pain of it. I even remember the Fall Festival I wore it too.

And you're right. Between that horrid little bit of elastic and the sweat pouring down your face (I've lived on the Gulf Coast all my life, so even in late October you're often talking 85 degrees or worse), it was hard to enjoy one's self.

My mom dressed my brother up in a skirt and jacket one year put freckles on him and a scarf and I believe dark glasses. Must have been the superman effect, no one could figure out who he was.I wore flowing skirts and peasant tops with lots of necklaces and a scarf and went as a gypsy. I think I may have once had a store bought costume, I wanted to be like all the other kids.my kids have had home made capes and went as superman. the bat insignia painted on a sweatshirt and went as batman. clown outfits. and one year one son went in tights and shorts and a top and hat that was sewn so that he could be robinhood.I have made a cute snow white dress for my daughter, her american girl doll got an identical dress, also various anime charachters. Many of the outfits I made could later be used as pjs.

I remember having only one of those costumes with the creepy masks! After that my mom made my costumes. I also remember being SEWN INTO different costumes!!

The hot glue gun was also a major contributor to my costumes. A tip from my mom...she never uses a hot glue gun without a glass of ice water right beside her. That way she can dunk scorched/glued fingers in the glass and it doesn't hurt as bad or as long! :)

One more things about those store bought costumes was I the only one that would get that elastic stuck in my hair when taking the darn thing off. It would twirl around my hair and they would have to call my mom to see if it was ok to cut it off!!! Hated those things.

I use to make costumes for my older kids!! My oldest was a astronaut one year while sweatsuit a kitchen drawer organizer on his chest and I took knobs off my stove and hot glued them to it. Oatmeal box covered in contact paper old hose from bonnet hairdryer from it to his helmet that was made from a plastic bucket. He won first place in town parade. A few years ago my middle son decided last minute he wanted to dress up it was like 9 the night before I took a big piece of cardboard covered it with an old tablecloth got an alumium foil pan big enough for his head and cut hole out hot glued it to top then hot glued cups and plate and silverware to it. I went into school and put it over his head making his head the main course added lettuce around head and he was dinner for 2. Won first place.

With my 2 youngest this year ages 3 and 4 I just bought costumes Clifford and Scooby Doo.

I remember those horrible costumes of our youth as well (I think we're about the same age). My mom was pretty crafty too though and made most of my costumes.

Last year I wasn't feeling up to much...I was still recovering from my last bout with cancer, but the kids wanted to go trick or treating, and I found myself at the last minute scrambling. The girls were easy (amazing what tulle and makeup and sunglasses can do) but my son was more challenging. He was 12 and wanted to go, and wanted to "dress up" but didn't want to look like a baby. I had him shower, comb his hair, put cologne on (oh he smelled yummy!) and dress in nice church clothes. I pinned a big gift tag with a big bow on it to his shirt that said:

To: WomenFrom: God

His teachers and everyone else loved it and he had a blast.

Anyway, I love your blog Dawn...can't wait to see your troop of ghosts or whatever they end up being this year :)

me and my brother and sister are going as the "three blind micewhich is really funny because I'm actually blind! I'm going to get real canes and sunglasses. my mom's going to make a tale and ears fo us. its going to be so much fun.

My mom made me a bubble gum machine one year. White see-thru garbage bag with different color balloons inside. It was great until I sat down at all and popped all my balloons! Not to mention the sweating and suffocating!

I also made my husband a peeping tom outfit last year. Made a window out of cardboard (complete with fabric curtains), put a handle on it, dressed him in all black with a black hat. It was for sure the best costume of the night! My 9 year old daughter wants to be Hannah Montana. So, I'll throw a blonde wig on her and dress her in her daily diva clothes. Simple enough for me!

It makes me so happy to see that there are people still making Holloween costumes for their kids. Holloween has always been my favorite holiday (okay, tied with Thanksgiving. Since I don't live in the USA anymore, I get the impression from the news that the fundies and the fearfuls are forcing their views on everyone and Holloween is being forgotten.Back to costumes, when my oldest was 3 she wanted to be a tarantula, so I made her a costume out of a long sleeve leotard, black gloves and 3 pairs of tights (one pair on her legs and 2 pairs stuffed with fiberfill and sewn to her leotard). It was very cute, but 2 days before Holloween, she decided to be a bat! So I made a cape, took off the tummy legs and stuck her mouseketeer ears on her head. That was when the October 15th rule was instigated. My kids could change their minds as much as they wanted, but whatever they wanted to be on October 15th at midnight was IT. The weirdest costume I made was when my son was 4 (almost 10 years later, Aladin had just come out, and I wanted to make Aladin costumes, since the girls were making their own costumes by then, I cajoled my son "don't you want to be something from Aladin?" he smiled and said yes! My imagination soared, I pictured Aladin or the Vizer or even the monkey! My son said "yes, I want to be the rug." All night long people said "how cute. Is he a curtain?"

I never got to wear one of those cool costumes with the plastic mask, because we didn't have the money. My mom always made our costumes, but I think I dressed up as a "gypsy" 5 years in a row because we were too lazy to think of anything else. I was always jealous of the kids who got store-bought costumes. Silly me. The homemade ones have all the love in them.

I admire that you make costumes. You rock! I am the first mom in line at Target, with ready-made costumes in hand at the check out line. I have managed to recycle a few of them already, because my son wanted to be a Ninja Turtle 2 years in a row. And the baby wore his Batman pajamas 2 years in a row. I'm actually excited about Halloween this year, because they are going as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda! And it's perfect because the little one is just the right size to be Yoda to his brother's Obi-Wan.

Does anyone remember Cooky Spooks or Spooky Cooks? They were my favorite store bought costumes when I was a kid. They had blowup heads that secured to your head (somehow). My sister and I were trying to find some a few years ago as a joke for Halloween and they were nowhere. Not on Google or Ebay. Perhaps they were one of the weird things that my mom found for us when we were kids. We may have been the only ones. They were a lot of fun!

LOVE looking at those old plastic costumes in a box, classic! Your pics are very creative. Our local news website has pictures people send in of their kid costumes. I'm amazed at how creative people are. I saved alot of pictures for future ideas! Your's are great too!!!

My mom dressed the family up as wizard of oz characters one year. There were five of us kids. We had the cowardly lion, scarecrow, tin man, dorothy, and I was toto. You could add the wizard or a munchkin or one of the witches for your family.

I just saw this adorable Tulip fairy costume that maybe you could make for your little one.http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=533968

loosk like it'd be fairly easy, start off with dress and drape down petal shaped peices of sheer fabric , connecting at the neck, and then drape over a velvet green material at the top ( which would also hie the fact you glued all the "petals" on hehe

Someone beat me to the punch about those costumes with the inflatable heads - we had one when we were kids, and my mom found it several years ago when cleaning out a closet. She didn't know what it was, so she blew it up and put it on - someone ended up taking a picture of it and that picture became the picture for the month of October in a calendar my sister made for my mom. How funny! We used to have a Grover (from Sesame Street) costume that was SO awesome, it had a huge head - unfortunately I was never tall enough to wear it. Oh well. We used to "recycle" the costumes through the cousins - I think most of us were Raggedy Ann/Andy, a clown, and a pilgrim at some point or another in our childhoods! I sometimes make costumes, but sometimes buy them. One year my oldest daughter was Rapunzel, complete with floor length braid.

My mom always made our costumes when we were kids too. My favorite was the Oreo cookie she made for me. I wore a white leotard and white tights and had two brown cardboard "cookies" that I wore on straps over my shoulders.

... Is it wrong that I miss trick-or-treating. I think I'm going to have to dress up for Halloween this year myself. Maybe I'll be a Jewish fairy godmother. ("Honey, you don't want that prince. Why don't you find a nice doctor and settle down?")

My kids have been been both - store bought and homemade. Usually my daughter dresses up in one of her past years dance costumes...Marilyn Monroe, a clown, Jessi from the Toy Story2, a duck. Already paid for, so it's like it's free!

Last year my son (13yo at the time) went as a gangster zombie... complete with a bullet hole. Don't everyone try and copy that one all at once!

4 years ago my other son (14yo at the time) went as a walking "insert political party of choice here" poster. Many comments were had that night!

OKAY so now my kids really want to live at your house!!! You girl are soooo creative and you have been hiding that! I love the bubble wrap hair-do!! Whack a mole is great and I might just steal that idea!! I suck at costums! I wait until the last possible moment. Heck it is for 15 minutes of walking around the neighborhood. They dont even get to wear them to school.Stacey

I love to make costumes myself, although I do not sew at all. Here's a poor pic of one of our favorites! My daughter was Pippi Longstocking a couple years ago!! IT was much cuter in person. Every adult knew exactly who she was as she was coming up the sidewalk, but the kids didn't have a clue! LOL!

I must admit that I make my boys' Halloween costumes also! Halloween gives me an excuse to dust off the sewing machine. I do sew, not well, but enough to be dangerous! I've used precisely two patterns in my life and this Halloween was one of them. I decided that my two 'cowboys' needed dusters! After buying the pattern and $50 worth of synthetic suede, I was a bit worried. The pattern used words like 'notches' and 'basting'... I thought 'basting' was something you did to a turkey. I found myself calling my husbands' grandma at 10:00 pm to find out how to 'baste' the fabric. (I don't even know how to spell that word) I was hoping that I wasn't going to have to tell my husband that I pretty much cut up $50 and had to buy costumes this year! Luckily, I'm stubborn and don't give up on a challenge (most of the time). I stuck it out and managed to get the sleeves in the right place and even figured out button holes! BUTTON HOLES!! Okay, they are by no means perfect, but they'll do! I like to refer to every imperfection as 'love'... this years costumes have a whole lot of love in them! All said and done, it only took a couple glasses of wine (for the health of my heart), a couple late nights, and a hole bucket of patience! I declare this Halloween a success! Now if I could just get the 16 month old to try it on!

I also do homemade costumes for my kids. My college girls are on their own but I try to be creative with my little ones. I loved the Marge Simpson!! I may have to steal that one this year. My son wants to be a nerd. Lucky for him he can find somethjing in his drawers,I haven't bought him any fall clothes this year. All of his pants fit like capris and being the only boy of seven, hand me downs are grounds to get beat up at school!!!

Well, I am truly ashamed of myself now. I consider myself to be very creative but have never made my son a homemade costume. Do I get points for using hand me downs?? LOL He's always been a "character", Buzz, Woody, Scooby...but I was very proud of last year's effort for MY costume. I was Velma, all from goodwill pickings, and everyone was amazed. This year, he is Darth Vader (yes...storebought) and I will be doing a frantic goodwill search until next Saturday for my Princess Leia costume makings.

As a kid, I had one of those awful plastic costumes. It was Snoopy and I remember I hated it! Then after that, Mom and Dad spent so much money on our ballet costumes that we were ballerinas for the next 10 or so years....honestly. Sadly, my sister has been forced to do the same with her three daughters. Recycling at it's finest!

I am SO stealing your sister's Marge costume for my TV and movie themed Halloween party I got invited to this year! Thanks!

I made costumes for my son and stepkids, too. All with felt, all hand sewn because I can't use a sewing machine to save my life. There was a turtle, a pumpkin, an egg... Yes, my son wanted to be an egg for Halloween. So, I made it so that his face was sticking out of the side of the egg, and the yolk was a pocket for candy in front. I was up until 3am the night before Halloween finishing it. Wouldn't you know it... It was 80 degrees here in Minnesota that Halloween, so he wouldn't wear it. I was so mad my best friend had to take him trick-or-treating because I wouldn't. He ended up wearing a old cape that he had in his closet from being Zorro... Ah, yes, the stories of old. This year we bought him a men's Spiderman costume because he's 15 and doesn't want the handmade ones anymore. *sigh*

wtg dawn.... I too made costumes for my two boys. The worst was when my oldest (now 19) wanted to be a TMNT ... i spent 10 hours sewing that costume, for him to say on halloween, I am not wearing that. Played with it the next day and for years after, but would not wear it on halloween. My youngest (now 13) had to make an alien for science last week, that alien was covered in the left over fur used for his 1st halloween costume, a bunny. I feel now gratified.

Hey long live creative costume makers! Great costumes, love the marge custome! Here's a few of mine from past years sadly mine have reached that age of not dressing up I thought I'd be relived but now I miss that last min stress.http://www.outsidethemargins.com/family.html

This is cracking me up... I am actually up late tonight sewing a poodle skirt (with a guitar instead of a poodle) for my daughter who has her first Halloween party with costumes tomorrow night... It was my idea though, I figured since she already had saddle shoes and a great petticoat, she might as well go fifties style!! :D Love your blog!! Huggles!!~Sarah~

You so acurately described those ancient costumes with the plastic masks!! I had forgotten about the sweat puddles! Memories..... Anyway, I was the incredible hulk one year (yes, with the plastic mask). My mom teased my hair and my cousin screamed when she saw me! The best "costume put together" was when my son (about 10 at the time) dressed as an old woman, complete with dress, stuffed bra, cane, and purse for candy. He got rave reviews!!

Just a quick "First Aid" suggestion for all of you "glue gunners" out there: have a bowl of water ready to dip your fingers into when they become innocent victims of the glue gun! Me? If given the option, I'd go for the sewing machine! It's far more innovative to sew fingers than try gluing them together! NOT!!!!!!All I can say is this: good thing my husband is a hand surgeon...

I too like to make my kid's costumes, but I do use things that have been bought and then put together. One year I stayed up all night making the costumes for my 3 oldest kids. We had gone to renaisance festival that year and had bought muskateer capes and my youngest daughter (4 at the time) had gotten a two piece dress. I decided to make the boys' boots out of felt that laced up and fringe on the top. I made them size specific to cover their shoes. Hey, if costume companies can do shoe covers, why can't I? I then covered straw hats in black felt. It was quite the trick to get it to stay on because it got kind of heavy. The most work went into my oldest daughter's dress. I took the younger one's dress (which was about size 6/8 so we could get a few years use out of it) made a pattern and sized it up to a size 14 for my oldest daughter. I had some fabric given to me that had been for bridesmade dresses, so the thing cost me absolutely nothing except the loss of sleep to make it. It fit her perfectly without even having any fittings. Of course it helped that the top was sleeveless and I used an old t-shirt to make the back of it so it stretched. Did all the costumes in one night, the night before Halloween, because of course, all things get done faster and turn out much better when you procrastinate. I always have worked best under pressure.My entire daycare would use Halloween costumes all year long. We used to have all the Power Ranger costumes. My girlfriend always got them on clearance. My son, when he was 3, lived in the blue ranger costume and then the red ranger one. By the way, does anyone remember the big blow up head pieces that were popular in the early 80's? You blew up this big animal/monster head and wore it on your head and the bottom was just a plastic cape that had the body on it. Now that was interesting going home on the bus because you didn't have time to deflate it at the end of the school day.Love to read your blog, I am mom the 3,(4th was a foster child) and auntie to numerous daycare children that go many places with me. When I did weekend daycare, they would always twitter at church when I would walk in with 7 kids and space/place them just so, so I could keep a better eye on them and they all behaved?! They would ask how I did it and I would just reply, "The Fear of God works wonders"

Love your costumes. The only one I've ever made was back in college. A friend and I went as a fork and a spoon. Just cardboard covered in about 300 feet of aluminum foil. Pretty fun though. You've inspired me. Maybe I will break down and make some Transformers costumes for us now.

If you don't want to burn your fingers with hot glue anymore, get some Fabri-Tac glue by Beacon - most of the craft stores carry it. It's in a clear plastic bottle with blue and red writing on it. Dries almost as fast as hot glue and holds just as well! Just be sure to keep the cap on when you aren't using it or it will get thick.Jill

Couldn't help but comment on this one. Despite not being married, much less having any children of my own, I love reading your blog every day. I'm one of the ones who came on board after the infamous E-bay post and am now a loyal reader. Was very happy to read that you now have an agent and are on the path to making your book a reality (someday)!

Anyway, back to Halloween - my all-time favorite holiday (yes, even more so than Christmas)! I'm so happy to hear that even amongst the harried and frazzled mothering set the creative spark is alive and well! I was lucky enough to have a mom who, like you, made (or helped me make) all of my costumes. I've been Cinderella, a unicorn, a poodle skirt girl, a penguin, a killer whale, Princess Leia, Darth Vader (the first costume I made on my own - out of cardboard, hot glue, black paint and HodgePodge, no less), several different incarnations of pirate . . .this year I am making Jack Skellington for my grudginly-supportive boyfriend (who cannot believe that he is allowing himself to be dragged into JoAnn's to pick out fabric) . . .

I've made a few costumes - back when I only had ONE kid, I got a pair of green sweats, some green vinyl-type fabric and green felt, a little stuffing and made a turtle. I got a LOT of compliments on it. A little green face paint, and he was good to go! Of course, in TX, it's usually somewhere around 80 degrees on Halloween so sweatpants are not really the way to go... (unless you plan for 80 degree weather, then it's chilly and then the costume won't keep the kids warm)

And then there was the year that the ultra cute Old Navy monster costume I bought for a steal on ebay scared the peewaddlin out of C#2, so I grabbed an old plastic bucket (which he was always putting on his head anyway), printed up a sign on the computer that said "BUCKETHEAD" and off we went. He made the church newsletter that year...

This year, hubby will be a caveman (the TV show, not the fur wearing, grunting kind...) and he's decreed the boys will each be garden gnomes (like the travelocity dude)

I'm stealing the fried egg idea - thank you to those of you who mentioned it... lol!

Boy this is getting long, but I have to say one more thing... A little rule of my hubby's that I KNOW will make everyone crazy - On Halloween (and a few other choice holidays) all the candy is inspected, then dumped in the middle of the floor where the kiddos have exactly one hour to eat as much as they possibly can (UGH)

after that, I usually put it in a cabinet and forget about it until valentines or easter...

My mother used to always make our costumes every too. She always tried to make them similar in a way, like one year she made me a white rabbit in a magicians hat and my brother was the magician. that was my favorite. She made me a cat costume and my brother one year was elvis. she had fun doing it and we had fun amusing her. I can't do what she did and I don't have the talent to try.

I think it's awesome that you make the kids' costumes! I've always strived to be creative with things like that, but.. well.. I suck at it to be perfectly honest. My oldest is going as a ninja(for the 3rd year, but hey! We were able to re-use the costume from last year), and #2 in line is going as the Grim Reaper this year. Boy #3 said he wanted to be a Fireman, so we got the costume and then he threw a fit that it was "not right"(so wise in his 3 years of age).And hell.. I just don't bother dressing up the little ones LOL. So my daughter has yet to dress up.. but maybe next year.

Great ideas though! My older two wanted to go as some kind of Pokemon and I haven't used a sewing maching since Jr. High Home Ec. Maybe next year. I can say that I did get boy #2 his costume at KMart-33% off so saved some there, and I also saved a ton of money by switching to Geico for my car insurance ;).

I love the costume ideas on your blog and the comments here. Reading about the Spongebob costume/comments made me remember back the first year The Drew Carey Show came out. I went as Mimi....LOUD print skirt and bright shirt...caked on blue eyeshadow and lotsa other makeup...I dressed my two little ones and put them in the double stroller to go watch their sister's parade at school...not ONE person knew who I was....I guess they thought maybe I just liked dressing like that?!?!My poor daughter had a similar problem last year...she dressed as a chef...the checkered pants, chef hat, and a nice chef jacket that I had embroidered with CHEF (HER NAME)..she even used a big silver mixing bowl (with whisk inside) for her treats...unfortunately at least 1/2 a dozen people called her the Pillsbury dough boy :(